It’s no secret that I love libraries so why I waited so long to visit John Rylands is beyond me! You can’t miss the beautiful neo-Gothic building on Deansgate and while it’s not the place to pick up the latest best-seller, it’s a must-visit for any book-lover. The building houses 250,000 printed volumes, and more than a million manuscripts and archival items. It’s basically a real-life Hogwarts!

The library belongs to the University of Manchester and is the third largest academic library in the country, but you definitely don’t have to be a student to visit.

The highlight of the library has to be the stunning historic reading room with beautiful stained glass windows and intricate ceilings. It’s the perfect place to study or curl up with a new book from the gift shop.

On the third Thursday of the month the library also opens late for live music events and poetry readings.